lingua franca

See also: Lingua Franca and língua franca

English

Etymology

From Italian lingua franca (“Frankish language”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪŋ.ɡwə fɹæŋ.kə/

Noun

lingua franca (plural lingua francas)

1. a common language used by people of diverse backgrounds to communicate with one another, often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar

Usage notes

• The most common plural form in English is lingua francas; however, the plural forms lingue franche (following the Italian) and linguae francae (in the style of Latin) are both fairly common as well. Also attested, but quite rare, and probably nonstandard, is the form linguas franca (treating lingua alone as the noun and taking franca as an adjective; compare attorneys general, forests primeval).

Synonyms

• (common language): koine, link language

Antonyms

• (common language): vernacular

Translations

common language

• Arabic: لُغَة تَوَاصُل مُشْتَرَك‏‎ f (luḡat tawāṣul muštarak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 通用語 (zh), 通用语 (zh) (tōngyòngyǔ), 交際語, 交际语 (jiāojìyǔ), 共通語 (zh), 共通语 (zh) (gòngtōngyǔ), 共同語言, 共同语言 (gòngtóng yǔyán), 共同語 (zh), 共同语 (zh) (gòngtóngyǔ)

• Danish: fællessprog n, lingua franca n
• Dutch: lingua franca
• Finnish: lingua franca
• French: lingua franca (fr) f, langue véhiculaire (fr) f
• Georgian: ლინგუა ფრანკა (lingua pranḳa), საერთო სასაუბრო ენა (saerto sasaubro ena), სალაპარაკო ენა (salaṗaraḳo ena), განსხვავებული ეროვნების ადამიანებისათვის საერთო სასაუბრო ენა (gansxvavebuli erovnebis adamianebisatvis saerto sasaubro ena)
• German: Lingua Franca (de) f, Verkehrssprache (de) f
• Greek: κοινή διάλεκτος (koiní diálektos), κοινή γλώσσα (koiní glóssa)
• Hungarian: közvetítőnyelv (hu)

• Irish: francbhéarla m
• Italian: lingua franca f
• Japanese: リングワ・フランカ (ringuwa-furanka), リンガフランカ (ringafuranka), 共通語 (きょうつうご, kyōtsūgo)
• Korean: 공통어 (gongtong-eo), 링구아 프랑카 (ringgua peurangka)
• Latin: lingua franca f
• Persian: زبان میانجی‏‎ (fa) (zabân-e miyânji)
• Portuguese: língua franca f
• Russian: ли́нгва-фра́нка f (língva-fránka) (indeclinable), о́бщий язы́к m (óbščij jazýk), язы́к (межнациона́льного) обще́ния m (jazýk (mežnacionálʹnovo) obščénija)
• Spanish: lengua vehicular f, lengua franca f, lingua franca (es) f
• Thai: ภาษากลาง (paasăa glaang)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Related terms

• Mediterranean Lingua Franca
• global language
• international language

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Italian

Noun

lingua franca f (invariable)

1. The Mediterranean Lingua Franca, a common language spoken in Mediterranean ports in centuries past (consisting of Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Arabic and some Greek words and used by sailors of different countries to communicate with one another).